A Chrismas Family Project: Build a PC

ManAboutCouch

Hi there,

I'm thinking of a project for my kids (13 & 9) to do over the Christmas break, and building a PC was first on the list. It's been a while since I built anything myself, but I'll be on-hand to help with any tricky bits.


1. What is your budget? €500-ish

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? It'll be a family PC, so some light gaming (Minecraft etc) and YouTube/NetFlix etc. However I'll probably be doing some work on it too, running a VM or two and Mapping (GIS) software, hence the SSD.

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? Yes, but I can run in Trial mode initially.

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [Hard drive/DVD Drive/Case/PSU/etc.] No

5. Do you need a monitor? No, I have a 22" with HDMI going spare

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? WiFi card

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? Not initially, maybe down the line

8. How can you pay? Debit / Credit Card

9. When are you purchasing? Within the next month

The build I've come up with so far is:

CPU: Intel Core i3-6300 3.8GHz Dual-Core Processor £131.39
Motherboard: ASRock H170M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard £79.89
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory £22.59
Storage: Crucial MX300 525GB 2.5" Solid State Drive £106.40
Case: Zalman ZM-T4 MicroATX Mini Tower Case £31.28
Power Supply: SeaSonic 360W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply £57.14
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter £28.41

Total: STG 457.10 + shipping (all parts & prices from Amazon.co.uk)

I think integrated graphics might do for now, leaving a separate graphics card as an upgrade for next year. A cpu upgrade might be an option for the year after, maybe with another stick of RAM.

I'm not sure about the case. Utimately I'm looking for something that looks decent and isn't huge, but it also has to be reasonably simple to work with, as it'll be the kids who are putting the thing together as much as possible.

All thoughts, advice and pointers very welcome indeed, thanks!

K1NG_

ManAboutCouch wrote: »

Hi there,

I'm thinking of a project for my kids (13 & 9) to do over the Christmas break, and building a PC was first on the list. It's been a while since I built anything myself, but I'll be on-hand to help with any tricky bits.


1. What is your budget? €500-ish

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? It'll be a family PC, so some light gaming (Minecraft etc) and YouTube/NetFlix etc. However I'll probably be doing some work on it too, running a VM or two and Mapping (GIS) software, hence the SSD.

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? Yes, but I can run in Trial mode initially.

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [Hard drive/DVD Drive/Case/PSU/etc.] No

5. Do you need a monitor? No, I have a 22" with HDMI going spare

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? WiFi card

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? Not initially, maybe down the line

8. How can you pay? Debit / Credit Card

9. When are you purchasing? Within the next month

The build I've come up with so far is:

CPU: Intel Core i3-6300 3.8GHz Dual-Core Processor £131.39
Motherboard: ASRock H170M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard £79.89
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory £22.59
Storage: Crucial MX300 525GB 2.5" Solid State Drive £106.40
Case: Zalman ZM-T4 MicroATX Mini Tower Case £31.28
Power Supply: SeaSonic 360W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply £57.14
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter £28.41

Total: STG 457.10 + shipping (all parts & prices from Amazon.co.uk)

I think integrated graphics might do for now, leaving a separate graphics card as an upgrade for next year. A cpu upgrade might be an option for the year after, maybe with another stick of RAM.

I'm not sure about the case. Utimately I'm looking for something that looks decent and isn't huge, but it also has to be reasonably simple to work with, as it'll be the kids who are putting the thing together as much as possible.

All thoughts, advice and pointers very welcome indeed, thanks!

I would recommend buying from Mindfactory.de as it tends to be a lot cheaper otherwise from overclockers uk. It should be cheaper due to deals. Good luck!

Digital Solitude

You could knock about 25 pound off by getting a basic H110M motherboard, make sure to get 1x8 DDR4 if you do this.